Cotton drier and cleaner



MaxnZY, 1923; 1,449,392

/ H. H. FREEMAN COTTON DRIER AND CLEANER Filed May 2, 1922 ,2 sheets sheet'l' H. H. FREEMAN COTTON DRIER AND CLEANER Mar. 27,1923.

Filed May 2, 1922 2 Sheets-sheen 2 Patented Mar. 27, 1923.

HENRY H. FREEMAFT, OF SAN ANGELO, T.

COTTON DRIER AND CLEANER.

Application filed May 2,

at the same time clean seed cotton. Cotton is frequently received at the gins in a more or less damp or wet state and cannot be properly ginned unless dry. To proceed with the ginning of such cotton would be to produce a staple which would grade lower than that which would be obtained if the cotton was dry. A further object is to utilize the air suction commonly employed in a gin, so that the cotton is carried into the drier by the air currents created by l such suction and also to employ heated air either by applying heat to the drier, or utilizing heated air currents for the conveying. A particular object is to clean the cotton while it is being dried.

lln carrying out the invention I arrange a shell or casing at a suitable inclination with the receiving end uppermost. Within the shell which is preferably cylindrical, is arranged a revolving screen cylinder in concentric relation and' open at its ends so as to receive and discharge the cotton. The cylinder is of particular construction and is provided with a plurality of inwardly extending fingers arranged to pick up the cotton and drop it as the cylinder. revolves, whereby it is thoroughly agitated and disintegrated to some extent. provided for removing the dirt and foreign matter which falls thru the screen into the shell. It is also contemplated to apply heat within the shell, whereby the cotton will be more rapidly dried if necessary.

Aconstruction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafter described together with other features of the invention.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of the following specification and by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which an example of the invention is. shown and wherein: v Fig. 1, 1s a side elevation of a drier and cleaner constructed 1n accordance With-my A conveyor is 1922. Serial No. 557,929.

invention, portions of the shell being broken away to show interior parts,

F 1g. 2, is an elevation of the receiving end of the drier and cleaner,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail of the cylinder and finger construction,

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the shell and cylinder,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 4, and

Fig. 6 is a similar view on the line 66 of Fig. 4.

In the drawings the numeral 10 designates an elongated cylindrical shell preferably made of suitable sheet metal and having flat heats 11 and 12 respectively at itsend. These heads are suitably fastened to cross bars 13, which latter are carried upon the ends of longitudinal side beams 14. It is preferable to suspend the shell 10, but the latter may be otherwise supported. I prefer to provide suspendingrods 15 which latter have their lower ends bent so as to pass thru the overlapping ends of the bars 13 and beams 14. These parts are secured on the rods between nuts 16 as is clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The parts 13 and 14, constitute an inclined frame.

Within the shell 'Iarrange a screen cylin-- der 17, which is preferably formed ofa foraminous material such as wire fabric or its equivalent. The ends of the cylinder are open, but receive spiders 18, one of which has a trunnion 18 and the other a shaft 19. The trunnion passes thru the head 12 and is supported in a bearing box 20 mountedon the lowermost bar 13; while the shaft passes thru the head 11 and is supported in a box 21 mounted on the uppermost beam 13. The shaft 19 carries a spur-gear 22, which is driven by a pinion 23 mounted on a drive shaft 24. The cylinder 17 is less in diamet r than the inner diameter, of the shell so at? to leave a space therebetween.

The spiders each include a peripheral 10o screen which is secured thereto in a suitable manner. Longitudinal rein-forcing ribs or bars 26 are disposed along the inner surface of the screen in spaced order and extend from one ring to the other. These ribs are held against the inner surface of the screen by a plurality of brace rings 27 one of said rings being located at the center no of the screen and the other two spaced therebetween and the rings 25. The ribs are fastened to the brace rings by angular clips 28.

As an additional means of bracing and lending stability to the screen as Well as for preventing torsional distortion, I provide a plurality of equally spaced longitudinal truss rods 29 having their ends secured in the rings 25 and trussed over inwardly directed standards 30 carried by the center ring 27. It will be seen that the cylinder is thus made quite rigid.

Cotton is delivered thru a flue 31 entering the head 11, so as to discharge onto a circular apron 32, bolted in the adjacent spider ring 25 and extending in close proximity to the inner side of said head. The cotton which is delivered into the screen will be picked up by the fingers 33. These fingers are preferably formed each of a single piece of wire threaded thru the meshes of the screen 17 and looped about one of the ribs 26, one end of the wire being extended inwardly and the other end being coiled thereabout to form a loop 34, which loop also serves as a means of tying the ribs to the screen. Each finger 33 is bent at an angle in advance of the radial line of the loop. These fingers are provided at frequent intervals and are suitably spaced s0 as to pick up the cotton as the screen revolves and carry it to the upper portion before it is dropped. This action tends to disintegrate the mass of cotton and also gives it an opportunity to dry as will be apparent. The lower end of the screen is in close proximity to the head 12, and a discharge flue 35 extends from the head near dirt and other foreign matter passing thru the screen will fall into said trough from which it will be carried by a screw conveyor 37 mounted therein. Vindows 36' are provided in the side of the trough so that the operation of the screw may be observed.

It is to be understood that this cleaner and drier may be installed relatively between the wagon or other conveyance from which the cotton is removed by the air suction fine, and the usual cleaning and hulling machines of the gin, however, it may be used by simply feeding the cotton directly into the machine and applying heat in a suitable manner. Where the cotton is delivered with the air current which is inducedby a suction fan or the like, it is understood that this air is heated and, thus as the air passes thru the screen while the latter is revolving, the cotton will be dried. The agitation of the cotton will also assist in the drying and, of

course, will promote the cleaning. After the cotton has been treated it is discharged into the fiue 35 by which it is carried thru the rest of the gin house thru the proper machines for its handling. If desired heating coils 38 may be arranged in the space between the shell and the cylinder and preferably under the cylinder and supplied with a suitable heating fluid, such as steam or hot air. This auxiliary heating means may be used at the option of the ginner and while advantageous particularly where the cotton was fed directly into the screen from a hopper or the like, is not an essential feature of the invention as it is notnecessary under some conditions. It will be understood that the cleaner and drier is given sufficient length, whereby the cotton will be retained therein a sufficient length of time to dry and clean the same.

Experiment has shown that cotton treated in this cleaner and drier produced a bale which graded considerably higher than cotton from the same picking which was not treated; the cotton in both instances being moist when taken into the gin house, Cotton which is substantially dry will pass thru the gin in a much more satisfactory manner and produce a better bale than cotton which is wet.

Various changes in the size and construction as well as modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. 4

What I claim, is:

. 1. In a combined cotton drier and cleaner, a shell disposed at an inclination and having a cotton inlet at its upper end and a cotton outlet at its lower end, a screen mounted to revolve in the shell and including a plurality of longitudinal reinforcing elements disposed internally thereof and cirthe bottom of the screen. A trough 36 1s provided in the bottom of the shell so that cumferential bracing rings within the screen secured to said elements, longitudinal truss members within the screen fastened to its ends, a plurality of inwardly directed fingers disposed within the screen on its cylindrical wall, and means for revolving the screen, said fingers being threaded thru the wall of the screen and looped around the reinforcing elements.

2. In a combined drier and cleaner, a supporting frame, a shell mounted in the frame, a conveyor in the bottom of the shell, a screen cylinder rotatively mounted in the shell and comprising spiders at each end connected by longitudinal truss members and longitudinal reinforcing members, crircumferential bands engaging the reinforcing members within the screen, and fingers passed thru the .meshes of the screen cylinder and looped about the reinforcing elements, said fingers being bent in advance of the radial line of their loop, and means for rotating the cylinder.

3. A screen cylinder for a combined cotton drier and cleaner comprising a cylindrical foraminous member, spiders having peripherial rings receiving the ends of the ards at. the center of the cylinder member, said member and provided with rotatable and Wire fingers passed thru the meshes of 10 supports, longitudinal ribs disposed in the the member and looped around the ribs so as member and extending from one spider to to leave one end projecting into the cylinder, the other, circumferential brace rings in the said ends being bent with relation to the member fastened to the ribs, longitudinal loops.

brace rods having their ends secured to the In testimony whereof-I aflix my signature. 15 rings of the spiders and trussed over stand- HENRY H. FREEMAN. 

